It has been a hot summer! The only place it's fun to be when it's this hot is either in a pool or by the water. Luckily, we have friends who have been inviting us over for impromptu pool parties or backyard cookouts where the bay is right in their backyard! Jessica and Christian even rewarded our kids for good behavior on vacation with a slumber party. That meant Chris and I got to go out alone one evening to kayak around the island. It was lots of fun and a good workout! We were able to get around the island in about an hour, pulling our kayaks out of the water right at sunset.
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| Fun at the Martinez's home! The kids had a blast paddling between the piers and swimming in the bay. |
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| Frances, Avery, and Claire |
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| Abby, Kate, Will, and Lucy |
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| Will and Cain smile from the top of the water slide! |
This week I'm almost ashamed to say that we joined the Build-a-Bear craze and headed to the mall to try to get a stuffed animal for the price of each kid's age. A friend of mine let me know that this promotion was going on, so I told the kids, "It's not your birthday, and it's not Christmas so if you want to participate, you'll have to use your own money to buy a stuffed animal." Well the kids surprised me by giving an immediate, "YES!"
I guess since we have never been in this store, it was a chance to do something new and exciting that had never been possible before. Also, Claire's favorite stuffed animal, Cheer Bear, (a gift from her Uncle Kyle) came from this store. Claire said, "Mom, I really want to get a twin Cheer Bear, and I will name her Claire Bear. But this time I'll be more gentle with her so she stays soft and fluffy."
So we went to the mall and the line was wrapped around the mall! I said, "OK, well I guess we aren't doing this today." The kids surprised me again and said, "Oh, we can wait in this line." The line was 7 hours long! And, I only know this because someone who actually waited that whole time told me. At about the one hour mark of waiting, a security guard started to disperse the end of the line and a Build-a-Bear person came around handing out $15 off coupons as a sort of rain check. This worked out great for Claire because the bear she wanted was $16.50, so now she was paying much less than her age at $1.50. Will wanted a Pokemon and those were about half price with the coupon. I told him that I would gladly pay $10 so he could still pay his age and so we wouldn't have to wait in that line.
Well, we went back the next day and only had to wait an hour (sigh) to stuff a bear and a Pokemon. It was really cute though, watching them bring their animals to life. And I almost got laughing tears in my eyes thinking about how my brother said that the store had him do the whole "rubbing, kissing, and making a wish over the heart" routine while building Claire's favorite bear. Now I know why she loves it so much.
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| Claire helps fill her new "Claire Bear" by pushing the peddle that sends stuffing into the new bear. Cheer Bear snuggles happily at Claire's side, looking forward to meeting her new sister! |
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| Will fills his Vulpix! |
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| The kids rub the hearts, shake them in the air, stick them to their sides (where their new friends will always be), give them a kiss, and make a wish before inserting them into their new stuffed toys. |
Love,
Bethie
Precious!!
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